Legacy of Warriors
by WolfstarRazze Highland
Summary: The universe does not remain at peace for long following Goku's battles with the Shadow Dragons and his sacrifice to restore Earth. The Earth Special Forces must pick up where he left off with new allies, new adventures, and new foes!
1. The Gift to Earth

Legacy of Warriors

**Legacy of Warriors**

_Chapter 1_

_The Gift to Earth_

(Note from the Author: I did not create, or pretend to create, Dragon Ball, Z, or GT. Keep your lawyers away from me and accept this work for what it is… a fanfiction.

Also, this is a rewrite to the abysmal Dragonball: Rings of Power fic I started several years ago and gave up on. Hopefully I learned something since then, because I want this version to not suck.)

"Shenron, can you please restore the Earth one last time… you know, for old time's sake?" Goku asked, wiping a bit of blood off of his lip. The only thing pulverized more than his tiny body was the planet itself. The Earth Special Forces had always been able to count on the Dragonballs to fix the damages of the battles against the forces of evil they engaged in. That was why the emergence of seven powerful Shadow Dragons had surprised them all. Their greatest source of hope, the Dragonballs, nearly became their undoing.

The glowing red eyes of the massive serpentine Shenron narrowed as it glared down from the sky at Goku. "Have you learned nothing, Goku? Your overuse of the Dragonballs is what got you in this mess in the first place," Shenron, the Eternal Dragon of Earth replied, his voice a deep bellow, like a clap of thunder in each word. "However, I am capable of making a deal with you, Son Goku. Give up your life, and I shall do as you asked. Come with me, Son Goku, on the last adventure of your existence."

Tears began to well up in Pahn's eyes. "Grandpa… no!" The Saiyan girl ran up and threw her arms around Goku, putting her head on his shoulder as she began to weep. "You can't do it Grandpa! What if more monsters come to fight again? We need you here Grandpa… you're the only one that can protect us all."

"No Pahn, I'm not," Goku said softly, gently hugging her before forcing her to look up. "Over the years, so many foes have threatened the Earth _because_ of me. I am confident that you all can handle anything that will come your way. Pahn, you have become strong during our travels together. Vegeta, I'm glad we got to work together in the end. Gohan and Goten, my sons… you have always made me proud. Now it will be your turn to defend the planet. Uub, you were a great student and I know things will be fine in your hands. And Chi Chi… I love you. Shenron, I accept your conditions. Restore the Earth and take me with you."

The Eternal Dragon's eyes shimmered for a second as he bellowed, "It shall be done!"

"Goodbye everyone," Goku whispered as he jumped on Shenron's back. "Remember, I am always with you. It's up to you now."

"The Dragonballs shall be dormant for a hundred years. The pressure that has built up from your frivolous usage of the sacred Dragonballs must be released before I can allow you to use them once more." With that, Shenron left the mortal plane, carrying Goku with him. The Earth's mightiest hero left peacefully after many years of battle. The people of the Earth killed by the terrible Shadow Dragons were restored to life, and to them, things continued on as they always had.

But the Earth's Special Forces knew that it was different. Goku was gone, and now the fate of the Earth, maybe even the universe, would forevermore rest on their shoulders. Their greatest ally, greatest hero, and greatest friend was gone from the face of the Earth forever, sacrificing himself hoping that they could know peace. It was a bittersweet victory.

Four years pass, a peaceful time for the people of Earth without the vaguest of threats lurking in the shadows. It had been a painful process, but the Earth Special Forces eventually continued on with life after Goku, each day becoming slightly easier than the last.

News of the loss of Goku spread throughout the Universe, just as the stories of his great successes and battles had during his life. When news reached Neo Namek, they were especially saddened. They felt guilty for never repaying the debt that they felt Goku had earned when he defeated Frieza for them and avenged the very planet itself. And so they began to craft their greatest creations ever.

* * *

"Stabilizing the energy nexus," Dende called over to a second Namekian, both of them concentrating hard on their work. "Decanmous, are you ready to calibrate the energy output?"

Decanmous wiped a bead of sweat from the side of his head. "Yes," he replied, nodding slightly. "Let's do this."

"Two years," Dende sighed, looking at the fifteen shimmering golden rings in his hand. "Two years of intense calculations and designing. Two years of secret work, of trials and failures. And now we stand on the brink of success." With a last second of hesitation, Dende dropped the fifteen rings into the churning focus of energy set between himself and Decanmous, where they floated in the cloud of magic forces.

Both Namekians shifted the churning storm of energy, contorting it to fit the needs of the project. With bright bolts and sparks, the cloud of energy began to seep into the rings, imbuing them with the energy conjured by Dende: the residual energy of the world's greatest hero, Goku.

Suddenly, the entirety of the Guardian's Lookout began to tremble and quake as the last of the energy filtered into the rings. Decanmous and Dende both locked eyes, uncertain as to what was causing the violent rumbling. "Did we do it?" Decanmous shouted over the roar, as he reached out for the nearest of the fifteen hovering rings. As soon as he had it in his grasp, the other fourteen scattered in an explosion, knocking both Namekians off their feet. Decanmous was swept past the edge of the Lookout. A glimmering stream of energy crossed his field of vision, which he instantly identified as another one of the Rings of Power.

Forcing his body into motion, Decanmous streaked off through the sky, tearing through the air to catch up with the descending object as it crossed over to the ocean. He reached it just as it broke the surface of the water, stretching out to grasp it before kicking his legs out against the water, canceling his momentum. He scanned the sky fiercely, desperately seeking any other trails of light from the remaining thirteen rings, hoping to recover them as well. However, there was nothing left to be seen. The remaining rings were lost to him.

Hoping Dende would have some idea as to what to do, Decanmous returned to the Guardian's Lookout. Dende stood at the edge of his massive tower, gazing blankly at the Earth below. "This is very interesting" Dende muttered, standing at the edge of his floating palace. "And very unforeseen."

Decanmous nodded and looked down at the two golden rings in his hands, gently pulsating with the energy the two Namekians placed within. "It is only right that the sons of Goku receive these two, don't you think?" Dende nodded in agreement, lost in thoughts about the fate of the Earth - the fate of the _universe_ - if the Rings of Power would come into the hands of those with bad intentions, something neither Namekian had thought about before starting the project.

* * *

The cool metal felt reassuring under Cyba's touch. Freedom was so near, too near to lose now, he thought as he watched his cousin Anoreha toss the body of the last guard on top the pile of the other incapacitated Saiyans.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do Cyba?" Anoreha asked, her black eyes meeting his own. "The Space Colony has been the only home you've ever known."

He snorted a laugh. "Yeah… some home it's been. A real bastard of a grandfather, a monster for a father, and a few dozen scientists constantly trying to poke and prod me. Mother and Master Wolfstar are dead. And the missions they keep sending us on are starting to attract unwanted attention by that new emperor, not to mention the legendary Saiyan slayers. If I had it my way, you and Squaas and Master Arnek would be coming with me. This place won't last much longer in its present state."

Anoreha frowned. "I understand why you wish to leave, but I cannot. Not yet. There are people here that need someone to look out for them. Master Arnek is always out on missions these days, and if you leave, that will only leave Squaas and I to take care of the orphans."

With a sigh, Cyba opened the hatch to the space ship. With Squaas modifying the security footage, Anoreha would be free from punishment for her involvement in Cyba's escape plan. The thought made him grin slightly. The scientists were going to be _pissed_ when they found out he left.

"That genetic material that Feldian modified me with came from Earth right? Same planet that Kakarot was from?" Cyba asked as he began punching in a destination into the computer. Anoreha nodded. "Then I think it's time I see what this Earth place is all about. Fifteen years and I hardly know anything about all the genetic manipulation Feldian did to me. About time I find out, I think." His grandfather was a bastard indeed, he thought.

"Cyba," Anoreha began, then stopped for a second. "Take care cousin."

"You too," he replied. "Get out of the hanger before you get caught." He punched up the launching code as soon as he closed the hatch, launching himself away from the Saiyan Space Colony with all the speed the craft could muster.

"Earth…" he said, feeling a slight thrill as the knot in his stomach loosened a bit. "I hope they have fresher air than the colony."

* * *

"Master Tratz, we have arrived in Earth's orbit," a man of nearly pure white told one that was almost identical. "I can detect several moderate power levels here. Given the average power level of the population, I think it is reasonable to assume that the higher ones are Saiyans."

"Excellent," the strongest of the five men on the space ship responded, standing to glance at the energy readings himself. "Yes, I am also nearly sure that those are Saiyans, at least some of them. Great, we shall begin our extermination shortly. Makradus and Yektla, I want you two on a general survey of the planet. Find out about geography, the native inhabitants, and their feelings on the Saiyans, if you can. If the Saiyans rule this planet as the last batch had, this could be messy. We might need to purge the entire population."

"Sir, if we encounter a Saiyan?" Yektla asked, without finishing the question.

Tratz's head turned away from the computer, bringing his gaze upon Yektla. "Do not kill it, yet. We may be able to extract information about the Saiyan planet Neo Vegeta or the fabled Saiyan Space Colony. If we could find either of those, surely all of us would be invited into the Hall of the Legends and accepted among them. If nothing else, you two would finally make Elite Exterminators."

The two bowed, then left the orbiting ship, descending down toward Earth to complete the mission Tratz had assigned them.

"How many do you think are left, Tratz?" the final of the five asked as they watched Makradus and Yektla enter Earth's atmosphere in a glowing blaze. "How many planets with Saiyans? We have only encountered five since Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta, and the treasure troves of Neo Vegeta and this Saiyan Space Colony seem too good to be true."

Tratz snorted a laugh, but only one. "Does it matter? We will destroy the Saiyans, wherever they hide, Lentra. Personally, I hope the universe is crawling with them, hiding in fear of the mighty Ni Asyas. Let them know fear… and let us bring them pain and death!"

* * *

Makradus and Yektla sped off toward the nearest energy signal, deciding that any of the higher power levels could be Saiyan. And even if they were not Saiyan, the two Ni Asyas reasoned that the chances were high that if the creature was sentient, it would know of the Saiyans and where to find them.

As they neared the moving power level, they soon discovered that it was not Saiyan. Yektla took the lead, moving with all his speed to cut off the figure that sped through the air. "Well well, looks like we have a Namekian," Yektla snorted as the figure came to a stop in front of them. "Excuse me, but do you know if there are any Saiyans on this rock?"

Decanmous bared his Namekian fangs in a snarl, shuddering slightly as he felt their power levels. "You… you don't have good intentions. I will not help you."

"Aw, so sad," Makradus mocked, reaching out and grabbing the Namekian by his white cloak. "I was hoping we could be good friends too. Now I guess I'll have to kill you, before we can move on to the Saiyan scum."

"Don't be an idiot, Makradus," Yektla snapped, holding back his comrade's fist. "I detect something strange about this fellow here. What do you make of those two rings he has grasped there?" Decanmous made as if he were going to pull away, but Makradus held on to the cloak tightly.

Makradus sniffed loudly, then glared at Decanmous. "Yes… I sense some strange energy coming from them."

"Great, that's what I thought," Yektla replied. "I believe Master Tratz would like to have those." Decanmous scowled, then actually did manage to pull away from Makradus's grasp.

"To hell with giving them to Tratz, we should keep them!" Makradus mused, which prompted Yektla to smack him on the side of the head.

"Idiot! We serve Master Tratz for now. I won't have you ruining my chances at becoming an Elite Exterminator some day. Now, Namekian, hand those rings over." Yektla stretched out a hand to receive the rings, but Decanmous did not move for a moment. "Well, do you want to die?"

"I suppose not," Decanmous said as he also reached out, his fist closed. At the last instant, he thrust his other hand forward, releasing an energy blast directly at Yektla's face. Decanmous wasted no time in kicking the Ni Asyas warrior in the torso, knocking him into Makradus. He then unleashed a bigger blast, which enveloped both of them. "Next time, don't come picking a fight with someone you don't know anything about," he muttered as the energy began to dissipate without revealing his foes. "Hmm… I didn't mean to kill them."

A white form leapt forward striking Decanmous swiftly and stunning him with the force of the blow. "My, you are presumptuous," Yektla said as he struck again then grasped Decanmous's closed hand. He forced the fingers open, snatching the rings away from the Namekian before hurtling him toward the ground. Makradus launched a powerful energy burst at the falling form, which struck the Namekian before he hit the ground. "Time to go report to Master Tratz about our findings."

"But we haven't found any Saiyans yet," Makradus complained as they made their way for the atmosphere.

Yektla shook his head slowly. "There will be time for that later, Makradus. Master Tratz will surely be pleased with what we have found already. Now let's make haste, I don't want to be stuck on this rancid mudball all day."


	2. The Race for the Rings

**Legacy of Warriors**

_Chapter 2_

_The Race for the Rings_

(Despite my efforts, I still do not own DBZ. Consider this your disclaimer for the chapter.)

"Dende!" Decanmous called out with his mind. He was not sure how he remained conscious after the energy onslaught brought on by the bizarre intruders. Every move brought waves of pain, every breath marked another second his opponents had gained on him. He realized they were too far away for him to catch, that they had exited Earth's atmosphere already.

"What is it?" Dende asked him in response, his voice taking a concerned edge after the frantic cry Decanmous had made to him.

Decanmous grunted with the effort of sitting up, ignoring the purple blood leaking from a wound in his side and the burns on his back from the energy wave that struck him. "I just got attacked by a group of off-planeters looking for Saiyans, and they took the rings!" Decanmous cursed at himself for allowing them to get away. He cursed twice as much for letting them take the rings in the first place. "I need to make it as quick as I can to go find Gohan and tell him to search for the rings before those jerks get them all."

"Are you hurt?" Dende pressed.

Closing his eyes, Decanmous reached out with his senses in an attempt to find Gohan or Goten. "I'll live," he answered, evading the question. "I've got a lock on Gohan's position, and Goten isn't far away from him. I'll fill them in and then let you patch me up." With a hand pressed to his side to slow the bleeding, Decanmous drifted into the air slowly to make sure he could still fly. After leaving the ground, he was satisfied with his answer and rushed off toward Gohan's mountain home with all the speed he had.

Gohan must have felt Decanmous's energy signature, he decided, because the Half-Saiyan was just outside the door of his domed house looking into the sky in his direction. "You looked like Piccolo for a second," Gohan called up with a smile. The smile faded once Gohan saw Decanmous's expression, and faded more when he saw the bleeding wound at his side. "What happened?"

"Dende and I finished that secret project we've been working on. We crafted fifteen rings, the Rings of Power that would enhance the fighting strength of whoever wore them. The fifteen rings took flight much like the Dragonballs do after a wish. I managed to grab two; one for you and one for Goten. But simply put, some off-planeters that came here with the intention of killing all Saiyans took them from me and are most likely going to go looking for the rest."

"Wow, I'd say that counts as bad news," Goten said as he touched down next to Gohan. "You should go have Dende fix that wound, Decanmous."

"I had to tell you two about the situation first. This was all very unexpected." His jaw clenched. Unexpected or not, he should have foreseen the possibility of the Rings of Power being taken by those with evil intentions, should have worked out some sort of countermeasure, he thought. "This is urgent, you need to go and get these rings before those monsters do."

Gohan nodded and prepared to take flight, but stopped. "What exactly am I looking for? How will I know where these rings are?"

Decanmous recalled the churning vortex of energy and how it felt, realizing that he could still feel that power, fragmented and scattered and very much muted. But the power was still detectable. "You should be able to feel some kind of energy signature from these rings. Use that to guide you."

"Yeah, there are a bunch of small powers that weren't there before all around the planet," Goten said. "Gohan, we don't have a lot of time, so I think we better go."

Gohan looked over at Decanmous one more before taking flight. "Go have Dende heal you and stay on guard. Something tells me those aliens that attacked you aren't going to hide out for long."

* * *

"Yektla and Makradus are returning, Lord Tratz," Cecray reported from the sensor array on the bridge of the Ni Asyas orbiting warship. "I do not think they could have accurately conducted that survey in the hour they were gone, seeing as our sensors have just now calculated the threat level of the inhabitants of this planet."

Tratz sighed as he sat up in his chair at the bridge. He had been deep in thought, hoping to work out the location of Planet Neo Vegeta using the star charts and databases gathered by the other Exterminators. "No doubt they disobeyed orders and engaged the Saiyans directly. Eager little whelps." As an after thought, he added, "What did the threat level come out as?"

"Level 2," Cecray responded. "Weaklings. Which does not make sense. Kakarot was supposed to be from this planet, the one that defeated Frieza. Frieza was at least a threat level of 4 by himself. Also, that Earthling, Goku was from here as well. He defeated Majin Buu, who at his most powerful is believed to have reached upwards of threat level 8. Not to mention that insane power anomaly that was detected from this planet that topped out at threat level 14, the so called Shadow Dragons."

Tratz looked back at Cecray for a second. "This Goku sacrificed himself after the Shadow Dragon battle, correct?"

"According to the data we got from our interrogations, yes," Cecray replied.

"What if Kakarot and Goku were one and the same?" Tratz asked, not even all that interested in the answer. "Kakarot's data ends after the defeat of Frieza. Afterwards, this even more powerful legendary human known as Goku surfaces and defeats Cell, Majin Buu, Baby, and the Shadow Dragons. I do not think Goku was a human at all. I think our sources were mistaken."

"That's lame," Lentra joined in, staring out the viewport at the two figures approaching the airlock. "What's that leave us for fun? The exiled Prince Vegeta and the runts Kakarot and the prince produced with human females? I could've stayed on Ateg Evev for this crap."

Tratz waved Lentra's complaints away. "Do not write this planet off yet. Besides, the head of the prince will make an excellent trophy." The airlock opened, admitting the two scouts into the main hold of the ship. "You morons weren't gone long enough to do as I ordered."

"We found something you will want to inspect, Lord Tratz," Yektla replied with a sweeping bow, then held the two rings out in the palm of his hand for his superior to examine.

"Jewelry?" Tratz asked, his eyes narrowing as his anger visibly flared up in the form of an aura. "You abandoned your mission to show me trinkets of gold?"

"Take a closer look, Lord Tratz," Makradus cut in. "They give off an energy we can harness. What's more, we detected an additional thirteen of them scattered across the planet."

The tension surrounding Tratz lessened greatly, his aura fading away to nothingness as he regained his composure. "I see." He carefully picked the two rings up from Yektla's palms, placing them both on his own fingers. The power boost was instantaneous, a rush of strength that coursed from his head to his toes. "Get the rest of these and bring them to me. It looks like I was correct, Lentra. This planet does still hold some merit for us. The Saiyans have been identified as a threat level of only 2. These rings however make the trip more than worth it. I will share the spoils with all of you, just go find the rest."

Yektla and Makradus bowed before moving to the hatch once more to begin collecting the remaining rings.

* * *

"Man, this is so strange," Goten muttered as he and Gohan found their second Ring of Power, gently removing it from a crocodile's mouth.

"What is?" Gohan asked, startling Goten. He hadn't meant for Gohan to hear what he said and felt somewhat foolish.

"It's just that," he began, then paused, unsure of how to word his thoughts. "This is our first time fighting without father. Every other time the bad guys showed up it never seemed like a big deal, because I knew our dad was the strongest man in the universe. I _knew_ that we would win, without ever having half a doubt. But now Dad's gone. I'm still not even completely used to that, even though he was gone for the first few years of my life anyways. To be honest, I had forgotten that we were Saiyans, even. This peacefulness… it's so easy to get lost in it."

Gohan was silent for a moment, then handed the ring over to Goten. "Father is still with us, Goten. He said he would always be with us, and I believe him. He also said that it is our turn to be the heroes now. These are some big boots to fill, but Dad wouldn't have left them behind for us unless he thought we could. Whatever this new threat turns out to be, they're going to wish they'd stayed home instead of messing with the legendary Son family." Gohan flashed a large grin at his brother, who couldn't help but returning the gesture.

"I think you missed your calling as a motivational speaker, man," Goten said with a bit of a laugh. "You should've looked into that before becoming a professor." The two brothers laughed harder, but the gentle weight and distinct feel of the Rings of Power, one in Goten's palm and the other clenched in Gohan's fist, brought the two back to the moment. "Where next?"

"We'd be quicker if we split up," Gohan replied. "How about you go east and I'll head west. We can meet up again in about two hours to check up with one another. With these new enemies out, I don't think we should stay separate for long."

Goten nodded, then closed his eyes, reaching out with his senses to try and detect the nearby rings. They were hard to detect, even though he was becoming familiar with the pulsating energy they emitted. Once he thought he located one, he took off after it. Collecting the rings proved easy, once they were located. In fact, it was easier than collecting the Dragonballs had been, since people hadn't found the rings yet and didn't know what they could do.

While gathering the rings was not difficult, it was time consuming. Before Goten knew it, the two hours he and his brother had agreed upon had expired, and Goten only had four rings, including the one he and Gohan found together, to show for it. He started heading towards Gohan's energy signature, keeping his senses sharp. That was when he noticed the subtle energy pulses from a cluster of rings moving in the direction of Gohan's distinct energy signature.

"Something tells me that's not one of our friends coming to drop off a gift," he murmured, pushing his speed to his maximum. He could detect the Rings of Power moving, but his senses could not pick up the signature of whatever held them. Gohan's energy changed as soon as the traveling rings converged on his location, spiking to indicate preparation for a battle. "Definitely no friend of his, at least…"

* * *

"I hope Goten did better than I did," Gohan said to himself while he gazed down at the four golden rings in the palm of his hand as he flew in the direction of his brother's energy signature. The two hours went by quickly.

He stopped suddenly. "That can't be right." A cluster of rings moved toward him from one direction, a location that matched Goten's energy signature, but another cluster moved in from another direction, this one without a detectable motor. On the horizon, two figures moved toward him. As they neared, he could see that they were both identical, two figures with pure white bodies, bald heads, and long tails behind them. The figures reminded him of Frieza in his final form, but completely white. Once they were upon him, he noticed that the only thing that he could use to tell them apart were their eye colors and height.

"A Saiyan," the taller one with deep blue irises said, a sneer on his face. The two aliens sized Gohan up quickly.

"With some of the rings we are searching for as well," the smaller of the pair added. His orange eyes looked directly into Gohan's. "I'd say this is our lucky day, wouldn't you, Makradus?"

The taller one, Makradus, looked over Gohan's shoulder. "I'm detecting another monkey coming this way. That one also has rings. Very lucky, I'd have to agree."

Gohan clenched the rings tight in his fist and regarded his adversaries with caution. "You attacked one of my friends unprovoked. I'm not sure where you two came from, but we don't do that sort of thing here on Earth. It's just not polite. Now, if you were to leave your rings here and fly off back to wherever you came from, I'd be willing to forgive you."

The two aliens looked at each other in silence for a second before bursting out into laughter. "You, forgive us?" Makradus bellowed while doubled over.

"Grand speech coming from a being with a threat level of only 2!"

Gohan snorted a quick laugh. "Just like the Saiyans and Frieza's men, determining our strength with out of context numbers. You're making a huge mistake just by being here."

In a flash, the smaller one struck Gohan with a punch to the chest, sending the Saiyan tumbling backwards through the air until he could correct his flight. "How dare you compare us to Saiyans? You fool! I'll teach you respect!"

"Why bother, Yektla?" Makradus said. "We're just going to kill them all anyways."

Gohan's aura flickered up around him as he called out his inner strength. "Like hell you are." The air crackled around him with the sudden burst of energy. His body felt alive, powerful. It was a rush, the thrill of battle was upon him, the greatest joy of life from the Saiyan genetic hardwiring for fighting. "I defend the Earth these days."

Goten arrived on the scene, his own aura blazing in the air. "I'm going to take a guess that these are Decanmous's former playmates." Gohan nodded, keeping his eyes focused on Makradus and Yektla. "You don't seem to have signed up to attack the Earth today, so we're gonna have to ask you to leave!"

"These are not the energy signatures of beings with a threat level of 2," Yektla gasped, his jaw hanging slightly open.

Makradus cracked his knuckles. "Doesn't matter. We're Ni Asyas. We live to crush Saiyans. Just because they have a little more life in them than we originally thought won't change the outcome of battle."

"Ni Asyas," Gohan muttered. "A name to the beasts before us. Goten, they have the rest of the Rings of Power. I'm not detecting any more around here."

"Guess we better get to fighting them so we can take what should be ours," Goten replied, placing the four rings he had gathered on his fingers. Gohan did the same, feeling an instant burst of energy course throughout his body.


End file.
